Can guinea-pigs become untame?

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Alicia

Alicia

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Barry is about 3 years old I think and I've had him for about a year. When I first got him he was quite tame. I held him every day for the first few months and even with regular handling he has started being really skittish and nervous of me. I don't know why because I'm the only one who feeds him so he can't have bonded with anyone else and he used to take dandelions from my hand but now he runs away from me. Also, I got him a new hut because he outgrew his old hut and he wouldn't go in it until I'd gone. I went to see him a little while ago and he immedietly ran into the sleeping part of the hutch and hid underneath the hut. I know this sounds stupid but I feel like he hates me and I don't know how to get him to become tame? I don't really hold my guinea-pigs much but I spend a lot of time just sitting next to their runs and all the other guinea-pigs just sit by the run fence taking dandelions from me and aren't scared of me at all but Barry just hides. I thought as I've had him for a year he'd be a bit tamer by now?
 
was he handled a lot before you owned him? guinea pigs tend to be tamer, calmer and less skittish with people when they have been handled from being babies. it sounds like you just need to give him a bit more time to settle down thats all. could he have had a scare perhaps?
 
Is he behaving normally apart from the skittishness? Sometimes a change in behaviour can be due to illness.
 
Is his eyesight deteriorating? If he is finding it harder to focus, and guinea pigs aren't good at long range anyway I think, then you would just 'loom' as a threat and he would react accordingly. Carmina is slowly losing her eyesight due to cataracts which are quite visible if you look carefully at her eyes and she now gets spooked at any movement she doesn't understand, sometimes running away from nothing at all! Just a possibility.
 
He was kept inside before I got him and had never been on grass before so it was a bit different for him, and he lived with Billy but they started fighting after a few weeks so he lives seperatley now. I can't clearly see any cataracts or anything, I don't know how I'd notice them? And I don't think anything recently has scared him. I think I should just try and hold him more often and get him used to me again
 
My piggy, Gizmo, took a bit of a turn like this a while ago...he's never been the most cuddley and sociable of pigs, but he wouldn't let anyone near him for about a month!

Thankfully he went back to normal, the vet suggested that he had maybe felt under the weather and was trying to hide it, and that this is normal behaviour in guinea pigs!

Hopefully your little boy goes back to normal soon and it isn't anything serious!
 
We're just going through the same thing! We've had Edward 4 months (he's 6 mnths old). He's lost 2 'brothers' but seems ok about that.

2 weeks ago he was nuetered and since then has been very nervous, always hiding when we go near his cage. Don't know if its just recovering from the op, or the thought we could be taking him back to the vets? :(

Hope he gets over it soon, espcially when we want to get him some fmale company in a few weeks!
 
Is Barry living completely on his own or has he got piggy company at least nearby?
 
His run is next to Roy & Barry's runs so he's not completley alone, I'm trying to slowly introduce him to Roy so they can live together hopefully.
 
Best of luck!

Some piggies play "I'm not in my body" when they come to us, but once they are comfy you find out that they are actually not very interested in cuddles etc at all.

If it is any consolation to you, my Llewelyn is the same. A quick MOT for health sake cum chin rub and a few strokes down his back is all I usually get out of him before he tries to jump off my knees!
 
Hello Alicia!
I have just read your post and it sounded very familiar to my story with one of my guineas (Elliot), Elliot can be very scared and nervous and can often run away, this is a normal action for a guinea pig as they may think it is a preditor coming down to eat them, as they don't know you are there to look after them and care for them.

My advice for you would be to keep handling him as this will alow Barry ( Love the name by the way :) ) to become used to you and become to know your not a threat to him, Elliot was the same as he would not settle down in my lap and would want to keep running away, but after perseverence of keep handling him he is now lovely to handle.
I have a shed which i put the guineas in every other day and will give them there veg that day too and i will sit down and will guide them onto my lap and they will walk onto my lap and eat some veg, this also allows them to know your not a threat and they will think she is giving me some nice food here i love her :L
I would also spend time brushing him this gives him time to relax and enjoy himself while you brush him!
Also if you don't handle them everyday it gives them time to stretch their legs and give them a little break and the times you do handle them they will cherish it more!

Good luck with it Alicia, and let me know how you and Barry get on :) x
 
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